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| Eastern Bristlebird |
In a sign of what we are
rapidly coming to appreciate is the “new normal” of severe
climatic events in Australia, an extraordinary operation is underway
to rescue a remnant population of the endangered Eastern Bristlebird
from the bushfires which have been ravaging south-eastern Australia
for the past five months.
The unprecedented rescue
operation involves the Australian Defence Force, Zoos Victoria, Parks
Victoria, Queensland's Currumbin Sanctuary, Monash and Wollongong
universities, the Orbost Incident Management Team, and the Victorian
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
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| Rohan Clarke with a captured bristlebird |
Leading the charge in
the field is
Monash University's Rohan Clarke. Rohan has written on Facebook of
the efforts of a team of people working to save the Howe Flat
population of Eastern Bristlebird. The birds are at risk of being
consumed by fires which have devastated the nearby town of Mallacoota
and hundreds of thousands of hectares of bushland across four states.
About 180
bristlebirds frequent the threatened site.
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| Chinook helicopter to the rescue |
Seven rescuers were
taken to the area in an ADF Chinook helicopter after flying from
Melbourne to Sale. The
biodiversity hotspot is threatened
by fires
burning to the
north of Howe Flat – near Marshmead and the Victoria-NSW border in
Nadgee Nature Reserve. Says Rohan: “The
operation is likely unprecedented both in terms of the action –
rescuing an endangered
species ahead of an approaching fire – and the level of support
provided. My role is to lead a catch team alongside Rowan Mott and
people from Zoos Victoria, Parks Victoria and DEWLP.”
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| Rohan checks the mist-nets |
Birds are snared in mist-nets, with 15 having been caught by
Wednesday night. With two birds per containment cage, the precious
cargo is taken by boat to Mallacoota and then by charter flight to
Melbourne Zoo. The best outcome for all concerned is that Howe Flat
doesn't burn and the birds can be released back there when the danger
is over. Rohan says that alternatively, if the worst happens, a
captive insurance population can be used to rebuild the southern
population as conditions recover. He adds: “Nestled within this is
a positive story where a collection of agencies and organisations and
an impressive group of people (both those on the ground but also
critically those behind the scenes that just make things happen) have
been working together to achieve this.”
Says Victorian Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio: “Our
hardworking teams are ensuring this precious little bird has a chance
at a bright future despite the impact of these devastating fires,
which are still posing a threat to our native wildlife.”
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| Captured bristlebirds head to safety |
With 15 birds in protection, the first phase of the mission is completed; the target had been between 15 and 20. Says Rohan: "There's still lots of hard work ahead. People remain on the ground fighting the fires to protect assets such as the incredible biodiversity at Howe Flat. Zoos Victoria is pulling out all stops to house and support a very special bird. Work is underway to plan and implement the next steps that will aid with recovery this species and others impacted by the fires."
Eastern Bristlebirds can breed successfully in captivity.
Currumbin Sanctuary has bred several pairs of the critically
endangered northern population that frequents the NSW-Queensland
border area. That population is likely to have been hit by fires
which raced through its distributional range last September. About
half the territory of one pair I've been monitoring for several years
has burned.
By some estimates, as many as
one billion wild animals have perished in the bushfires.
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| Eastern Bristlebird |
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